He’s a proponent of religious diversity and argues that his religion, Islam, is open to diversity. “It’s a part of our faith….trying to see the breadth of God that is in (others). That God made humankind, different nations and tribes that we may come to know one another.”

About the blogger

Stephanie Curtis has produced events, daily news shows, documentaries, conferences and call-ins for MPR News. She also was among the pioneering producers who launched The Current. You can hear her discuss movies every Thursday on The Cube Critics.

Related Blog Posts

When John Lennon stated that the Beatles were bigger than Christ – there was a huge demonstrations against them in the US

Aaron

As Christians, we do not allow the Westboro Baptist Church speak for us as American Christians. Where are the voices of the moderate and progressive muslims outside of the United States? We hear your voice and the voices of other moderate muslims in the United States, but where are these voices in Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, etc?

buzz

Religion makes you stupid, and Eboo proves the point.

Sharon

My question is this:Just how many people were murdered by the viewing of this piece of material? Yet, muslims have declared death to America, all Americans. Now, how many people were murdered on 9/11/2001, yet all we heard from muslims was that it was not all of us. Do not hold all of US responsible for the acts of but a few.

Yasameen Sajady

Think about what let’s these people protest and raise chaos all day for many days. They are not in school they do not have jobs. These or many of these countries are third world countries. They do not have strong education systems or a healthy work force.

This reaction to blame technology really dosen’t make much sense, how can you blame them for having longer attention spans then most people in the United States.

Sharon

How many people were murdered as a result of this piece of film? Yet muslims are calling for death to America. Now, how many people were murdered on Sept. 11, 2001, at the hands of muslims, yet the pleas sent were don’t blame all of us for that. Hypocrites all.

Julie

I wonder how much of the uprisings are fueled by a certain amount of Anti-American feelings. The You-Tube video is clearly the spark. Muslims are reacting on behalf of thier religious beliefs, which is the initial fuel, but has Anti-American sentiment kept it going, and made it more intense?

Craig

Are these protesters new to viewing modern media? It seems they have a hot button that is very easy to push, which is not usually true of those who have grown up with pervasive sensationalized television.

There are extremists within each organized religion. Have there been any violent acts done in “God’s”/”Jesus” name?

Jon

God is but Love and therefore so are we, let us remember that.

Greg Anderson

When asked questions about Mulsims today he consistently avoided the questions with references to the Prophet and the Koran. We need answers that relate to our Mulsim neighbors and coworkers. As non Muslim Americans we need to hear why the response by the Muslim majority that abhors the violence has been so muted. They seem to respond to this wave of violence with timid whispers. It is time to speak up if Muslims really believe the violence is wrong.

Shawn Gilbert

The behavior today of unprincipled radicals creates enormous challenge for the faith of Islam and for those who wish to respect its teachings. I trust the authentic spirit of Islam’s core will eventually prevail; in the meantime, it is incumbent upon all of us to keep cool heads, welcoming hearts and active intellects. It might be useful to think about how Christians would be perceived today if they were presently involved in the Inquisition.

Amy

As I listed to this delayed podcast of your show, I am sitting in Dubai, where my husband and I now live.

There are no demonstrations here in Dubai because demonstrations of any kind are not allowed. I can only be thankful that demonstrations can take place in countries nearby, whether or not I agree about their usefulness.

I am, as others, sickened by the killing of the American ambassadors and others. And as a lapsed Catholic myself, I certainly do not fully understand the protests that a mere film — albeit sickening — have created.

But I agree with Patel, who questioned why Americans’ first response was sound bits about free speech and not denunciations of the film. However, he was more magnanimous than I can be. Our weariness of war and violence and discussions of Islam is no excuse to have little compassion when another group is vilified.

Muslims are not the only group of religious people who find that some of its members turn to violence. Think of anti-abortion Christians who bomb health clinics, or orthodox Jews who throw stones at Christians who walk in their neighborhoods. Yet we do not denounce the entire faith for the actions of these misguided individuals. We do not question their religions or search for a profound raison d’etre of the violence. I strongly believe that it is a cleverly veiled racism that leads us to do so.

To say that voices of plurality don’t exist in the Muslim world is perhaps the most obvious example of a racism that is embedded in America. These voices abound. They are in my college religion professor who is a Catholic but married Buddhist from a Muslim family. It is the voice of my dear Muslim friend who as a violence researcher sat down and interviewed Hutu killers. It is here in Dubai where Muslims tolerate some vile Western attitudes in the name of capitalism. But Americans need to look to see these voices. And they are not looking.

As the protests rage in countries around the Middle East, I think it would be rather courageous if Americans chose , not to justify violence, but to think deeply about what causes people to react in a way that seems to us over-reactionary. And to perhaps imagine what our own actions and attitudes contribute to ill feelings that lead to the reactions we are seeing today in Islamic countries.